Toy airplane



Feb. 17, 1931. R. POLLOCK TOY AIRPLANE Filed Jan. 1929 Patented Feb. 17,1931

" 3m POLLOCK, or GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA TOY AIRPLANE Application filed January 21, 1929. Serial No. 333,831.

. This invention relates to toy airplanes and has for its principal object the general 1mprovement thereof. a V v y Oneimp'ortantobject of the invention is to flexibly mount the propeller so that 1f the airplane descends to earth in a manner to cause the propeller to strike the ground, said propeller will not be broken or the shaft bent. Another object isto provide for vertlcal adjustment of the elevator. a Another object is to provide a simple construction for adjustably holding the rudder in differentv positions of adjustment. p I

Another object is to provide a strong con struction withoutthe usofnails or other fastening devicesdriven through the frame members, thus avoiding splitting thereof. Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. 7 j

Figure 1 is a'plan view ofa toy airplane constructedin accordance with the provisions of this invention.

fFigure 2 is an enlarged'broken front elevation of ,Figure 1, portions being shown in vertical mid-section on the line indicated by 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line indicated by 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4: is an enlarged vertical section on the line indicated by H, Figure 1. V The body of the airplane is indicated at 6 and comprises longitudinal members 7 se cured to rectangular frame members 8. The frame members 8 are composed of upper horizontal cross-barsv 9, ,lower; horizontal crossbars 10, and uprights 11 connecting the crossbars, The frames 8 are provided at their corners with angular recesses 12 produced by attaching adjacent frame members to one another so that only the inner corners of said frame members substantially meet. The cross-bars 9, and uprights 11, of each frame member, are connected together by corner plates 13 which are secured by brads 14,01 their equivalents. to the framermembersfas clearly shown in Figure 4:. The longitudinal members 7 are glued in the recesses 12to the 50 ends of adjacent frame members, the glue be- 'ing vertically through the body 7 and being the rudder also causes movement of the eleyator in the plane of said elevator, as shown n broken lines in Figure 1. This small an 'ing indicated a 15 in Figure 4.. This pro- '17 are immovably secured-together as indicated at 18. The forward cross member 19 of the elevator rests on the two upper longi tudinal members 7 and a rubber band 20 extends over the lower rudder member 18 and around the body 7. In practice, the rubber bandj2O will beoutside of the covering, not shown, of the body 7. The rubber band 20 passes over that portion of the rudder member 13 that projects forwardly beyond the elevator'member 19. a

The mid-longitudinal elevator member 21 is pivoted at its rear end by a threaded pin 22 to the rear end of the body 7, said pin passprovided above and below said body with nuts 23, 24, respectively, whereby the pin 22 may be secured in different positions of vertical adjustment so as to secure the elevator at different angles with respect to the horizontal. a

The pin 22 is provided above and below the elevator member 21 with nuts 25, 26 which secure the pin to said member 21. The rubber band 20 permits of theforward end of the rudder being shifted laterally and said rubber band securely holds the rudder in the position to which it is adjusted, it being understood that the lateral adjustment of gular change of the elevator in its plane is of no consequence and enables the elevator and rudder to be simply mounted for obtaining theadjustments mentioned above.

At, their forward ends the longitudinal members 7 are secured to a front plate 27 which is provided with a circular hole 28. Mounted in the hole 28 is a resilient flanged bushing 29, the flange being indicated at 30, and said flange'resting against the outer face of the plate 27. The diameter of the body 31 of the bushing is substantially less than the diameter of the hole 28 so that said bushing can rock lengthwise within the plate 27, if any force comes upon said bushing tending to cause it to rock.

The diameter of the flange 30 is equal to and, in this instance, slightly greater than the diameter of the plate 27 so as to fully protect said plate 27 from injury if the nose of the airplane should strike the earth. In this instance, the bushing 29 is made of soft rub- Tightly and removably fitting within the bore 32 of the bushing 29 is a tubular hearing member 33 through which extends the propeller shaft 34 on which is mounted the propeller 35. The shaft 34 is loose in the tubular bearing member 33 and is held against being withdrawn forwardly from the bearing member 33 by a shoulder or shoulders 36 on the shaft 34. Forward of the bearing member 33 is another bearing member 37 which is firmly secured in any suitable manner to the shaft 34, and between the bearing members 33, 37 are balls 38. Thus the bearing is secured within the bushing 29.

The rear end of the shaft 34 is provided with an eye 39 to which is secured a hook 40 and to said hook is secured the forward end of a rubber band 41 that, when twisted, produces the operating power for the propeller. The rear end of the rubber band 41 is c011- nected by a hook 42 to the body 7.

The foregoing will make clear the construction and operation of the invention and, briefly stated, the operation is as follows:

The elevator frame 16 will be adjusted vertically to the desired angle by manipulating the nuts 23, 24 and the rudder will be set to any angle desired by simply sliding the front of the elevator laterally upon the body 7, the rubber band 20 then holding the rudder in the adjusted position.

The shaft 34 will then berotated by the operator in a direction the reverse of that in which it must turn when driving the propeller for forward flight, thus twisting the rubber band 41 so as to store power therein.

Upon release of the shaft 34, the rubber band rotates the same within the bearing member 33 and the tension of the rubber band 41 is all that holds the bushing 29 in place within the plate 27. If, when the power runs out, the airplane should descend at such angle that one of the propeller blades strikes the earth, the force of the blow, instead of breaking the blade, will be absorbed to a large extent by the rubber bushing 29, which yields. Said bushing, furthermore, may be caused by the blow on the propeller blade to rock forwardly and upwardly, or in any other direction, so as to aid in absorbing the shock. I This method of rotatably mounting the propeller on the body 7 is very effective, inexpensive and requires a minimum amount of time.

An advantage of loosely mounting the bushing 29 on the body 6, regardless of whether or not said bushing is resilient, is that the bushing may be unseated and drawn away from the body so as to stretch the rubber band 41 when twisting of said band is to be effected, thus permitting the band to be wound tighter, or to be given more turns, without the production of kinks in said band.

The term toy has been employed in this specification to define not only airplanes constructed as toys for the amusement of small children, but to also define, so termed, model airplanes constructed and used for instruction, as well as amusement.

I claim:

1. A toy airplane comprising a body, a resilient bushing, rockably mounted in the forward end of the body, a bearing mounted in the bushing, a shaft journaled by said bearing, a propeller mounted on said shaft, and a means to drive said shaft. i

2. A toy airplane comprising a body provided at its forward end with a plate, said plate provided with a hole therethrough, a flanged bushing in said hole, the body of said bushing being of materially less diameter than said hole, so that said bushing can rock in the plate, the flange of the bushing resting against the outer face of the plate,

a bearing mounted in the bushing, a shaft journaled by said bearing, a propeller on said shaft, and a means to turn said shaft.

3. A toy airplane comprising a body, a bearing, a shaft journaled by said bearing, a propeller on said shaft, and a means rockably and resiliently mounting the bearing in the body.

4. A toy airplane comprising a body, a bearing, a shaft journaled by said bearing, a propeller on said shaft, and a means rockably and resiliently mounting the bearing in and loosely connecting the bearing with the body. 7

5. A toy airplane comprising a body, a soft rubber bushing rockably mounted in the forward end of said body, a bearing mounted in said bushing, a shaft journaledby said bearing, a propeller mounted on said shaft, and a rubber band connected at one end to the shaft and at its opposite end to the body.

6. A toy airplane comprising a body, a shaft, a bearing for said shaft detachably connected with the body and rockable relative to said body, a propeller mounted on said shaft, and a rubber band connected at one end to the shaft and at its opposite end to the body.

7. A toy airplane comprising a body provided with a front plate, and a rubber member extending over the front face of said plate, a shaft mounted in the rubber member, a propeller on the shaft, and means to turn the shaft.

8. A toy airplane comprising a body, a bushing mounted to rock transversely of the V of Jan, 1929.

longitudinal axis of the body, a bearing mounted in said bushing, a shaft journaled by said bearing, a propeller mounted on said shaft, and a means to rotate said shaft.

9. A toy airplane comprising a body, a shaft, a bearing for said shaft mounted to rock transversely of the longitudinal axis of said body, a propeller mounted on said shaft, and a means to rotate said shaft.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif, this 8 day ROBERT POLLOCK. 

